We all love to act like we will make it to a ripe old age. We plan our careers, our retirement, and our lives as though we were guaranteed to be around until the day of our choosing. We also act as if our lives, in and of themselves, and our action will be remembered by all generations to come. Verse 14 reminds us what our lives really are, Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. We must remember that our lives are limited but they are meant to have purpose. The key is to remember that the purpose is designed by God and to be executed for His eternal glory, not ours. In Francis Chan’s book, “Crazy Love”, he reminded me that in 50 years after my death no one but my direct descendants will even remember that a guy named Dino ever even lived here. However, the influence of my life through the power of God can have a significant impact in the world I leave behind, especially in the lives of those I directly influence to future generations.

When we read verses 4-8 where it says 4 Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. 6 You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of birth pains. we as Christian get very excited. We think, surely this is the “beginning of birth pains”. We all need to be careful that we not lose sight of our purpose here on earth and focus on the end. God has us here for a specific purpose and we are to focus on our relationship with Him and on being a reflection of Him. If we know Him well, we will not be deceive by those claiming to be Him.